Research Scholarships in Birmingham Business School

Birmingham Business School (BBS) is renowned for its research. With over 200 lecturing and research staff, internationally recognised as authorities in their fields, our research contributes to academic debates and has worldwide impact.

Birmingham Business School Doctoral Scholarships

The scholarships are available to candidates of the highest academic calibre who wish to conduct doctoral level study on a topic within the research areas of Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, and Strategy & International Business at Birmingham Business School.

A successful applicant is expected to have a very good undergraduate degree: a minimum of a 2:1, and preferably a first class honours. They should also hold, or expect to achieve, a very good Master’s degree (at least a merit and preferably at distinction level) in a Business or relevant subject. Their references will attest to qualities of academic achievement and research potential that make the candidate stand out above their peers. They may have already won academic prizes within their home institutions and /or internationally.

Applications will be assessed on:

The quality of the student’s academic achievements and preparedness for doctoral level study
The quality of the research proposal
The potential to contribute to cutting edge research
The match of the proposal to areas of research strength within Birmingham Business School.

View guidance for preparing a research proposal

Since we are particularly keen to build on existing areas of research strength, all applicants are strongly advised to contact potential supervisors and to discuss their proposal with them prior to online submission.

Recently closed scholarships

ESRC Midlands Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) Scholarships

The University of Birmingham is part of the Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Programme that includes Warwick, Aston, Birmingham, Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham.

The ESRC Midlands DTP provides students wanting to study for a PhD at the University of Birmingham the opportunity to apply for scholarships. Details of the competition for ESRC scholarships to which eligible students beginning their studies in October 2023 can apply are at Scholarships. The deadline for applications is 24th January, 2023.

Please check the Eligibility Requirements for the scholarship before making your application.

You must apply to study for a PhD at the University of Birmingham by completing the online application form. For details on how to apply please visit Postgraduate Study Page.

After making an online application to the University of Birmingham please read the Guidance Notes for Midland Graduate ESRC DTP School Applicants before completing the application form MGS Studentship Application Form (Birmingham). Make sure you have identified two supervisors who will assist in completion of the application form.

If you also wish to be considered for the Birmingham Business School Doctoral Scholarships then please read the information below and submit the application form.

How to apply

Potential candidates for the Birmingham Business School Doctoral Scholarships must have an offer of a place to study for a PhD. If you do not already have an offer, you must apply by 20 March 2023 and mark your electronic application Birmingham Business School Scholarships. At the same time, you should send a separate Birmingham Business School Scholarship application form, along with your research proposal, to Dr Sheena Leek, Director of the Doctoral Programme (business-pgr-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk) and mark your email ‘Birmingham Business School Scholarships’.

If you already have a place to start on the doctoral programme in September 2023 and you wish to be considered for the BBS awards, you need to complete the Birmingham Business School Scholarship application form and submit it along with your research proposal as outlined above. If you are currently a Masters student, an offer of a scholarship will be conditional on the successful completion of your studies at the required level.

The deadline for Birmingham Business School applications is 3 April 2023.

Find out more about our Doctoral Programme.

To apply to the Doctoral Programme, please go to the subject specific page listed below:

Find out more about the areas of research in the Birmingham Business School.